May 1, 2004
Mc Bride Family Renew Legal Challenge Over Killer Soldiers
The family of murdered Belfast teenager Peter Mc Bride return to Belfast High Court tomorrow morning (Tuesday 20.4.2004) to judicially review the refusal of the Ministry of Defence to dismiss two soldiers, Mark Wright and James Fisher, who were convicted of the 1992 murder. In June 2003 the Court of Appeal ruled that there were no exceptional circumstances justifying retention of the two. According to internal British Army regulations soldiers sentenced in a civilian court must be dismissed unless there are 'exceptional reasons' for not doing so.
The refusal to dismiss the convicted murderers of the teenager has caused widespread anger in Ireland and abroad and has led to a boycott of NIO Minister John Spellar who was involved in the decision to retain the Guardsmen. Recently the Mc Bride family raised the case at a meeting with German consular officials. Wright and Fisher had been based in Gemany.
The family of murdered Belfast teenager Peter Mc Bride return to Belfast High Court tomorrow morning (Tuesday 20.4.2004) to judicially review the refusal of the Ministry of Defence to dismiss two soldiers, Mark Wright and James Fisher, who were convicted of the 1992 murder. In June 2003 the Court of Appeal ruled that there were no exceptional circumstances justifying retention of the two. According to internal British Army regulations soldiers sentenced in a civilian court must be dismissed unless there are 'exceptional reasons' for not doing so.